


A Social Day

by hereforthephilindafics



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Academy Era, First Meetings, Gen, MCU Kink Bingo, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:01:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23656516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereforthephilindafics/pseuds/hereforthephilindafics
Summary: Melinda thought it would be awkward to simply stand and talk to someone she just met but Phil had the ability to make her feel comfortable.
Relationships: Phil Coulson & Melinda May, Phil Coulson/Melinda May
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23
Collections: MCU Kink Bingo Round 4





	A Social Day

**Author's Note:**

> For the MCU Kink Bingo  
> Square Filled: Meet Cute

Melinda hated “mingle” days for Operations. They were technically social days for the whole Academy, a chance to make friends outside for your division, but everyone knew they had been invented so that Specialists didn’t leave the Academy without any social skills.

This was the first one Melinda got to experience but she knew enough about the Academy prior to entering it to know it was coming. Some of her classmates were ecstatic; a whole day to do as they pleased (as long as they didn’t break any rules) and meet people they had never interacted with before.

Ideally, it sounded exciting. In reality…it was an awkward mix of groups with nothing in common that was making Melinda cringe. The rocketing IQ Science and Technology geniuses had just moved whatever gadget they were working on outside and were sitting on blankets, continuing to work and not worrying about socializing. Communications held all the social butterflies, really, and it was clear they had no problems moving from group to group and making friends. One could spot the Specialists from the dorms. They all stood on the outskirts, a few feet apart from each other, observing passively. There were more male Specialists than female, and they definitely drew interest, but they were too focused to notice.

Melinda was sitting on one of the stone walls in the outskirts of the garden the Academy had picked to set their first social day in. Her professors had told them to unwind, forget their training, and try to make friends, but Melinda found herself checking all the exits - even though they were outside she could still become trapped if this large of a group decided to run in one direction- and making a mental log of everyone in the crowd for possible threats. She was sure this was just another test from Operations.

She was done scanning the crowd and was just running her eyes down the wall that curved through the garden when she noticed someone sitting on it like she was, all the way on the opposite side. He was wearing jeans and a grey zip up hoodie. His glasses kept sliding down his nose as he looked down at something in his hands. Melinda frowned when all of a sudden he looked up, like someone had called him, and his eyes locked with hers. He blinked a few times before he smiled, waving.

Melinda looked behind her, thinking he might have seen a friend and she was in the way.

When she turned he was lowering his hand like he realized he made a mistake, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose again. Melinda frowned. Did he mistake her for one of his friends? She looked around her but there was no one in her vicinity. She looked in his direction again and saw that another guy had joined him. He said something and barked out a laugh, looking Melinda’s way. The guy who waved at her shook his head and stood up, collecting his belongings, and walked away. His hands were balled up in fists.

She felt horrible, and like an idiot. He had just tried to be friendly and Melinda had made him feel awkward. She did not mind that he waved at her, but she couldn’t find a reason as to why he would _want_ to wave at her. But now she ended up looking like a bitch and that other guy was making fun of him. Melinda chewed on her lower lip.

The garden got louder as more people started to break the ice and have little conversations. Melinda tried to distract herself by people-watching but she kept thinking about the guy. After half an hour she hopped off the wall and started walking, not really sure where to start looking first. She decided to head for the little woods behind the garden.

Melinda grinned when she saw him again. He had gone back to reading, but he was now leaning against a tree trunk, sitting on his hoodie. Melinda walked closer, trying to be quiet so she could get a glimpse of what he was reading. He flipped the page, lifting the cover and she tried not to giggle. It was a _Captain America_ comic.

He looked up all of a sudden. Melinda’s step froze in midair. She blinked when she realized how blue his eyes were.

“Hi,” he said softly. His voice was deep and smooth.

Melinda felt herself flush. She cleared her throat. “Sorry…”

He tilted his head to the right and smiled. “About?”

“I…ummmm…I startled you…” She wanted to do a face palm.

“No, you did not. I just happened to notice the shadow to my right changed.”

“Wow, you should be in Operations, not Communications.”

He frowned. “How do you know?”  
Melinda nodded toward his t-shirt. He looked down and chuckled.

“Oh, right.”

He stood up, groaning, and flexed his back. Melinda couldn’t help but notice he was tall, and that his shirt stretched tight over his chest. He walked to her but still left more than enough distance between them.

“I’m Phil.” He extended his hand.

She shook it. “Melinda.”

They shook hands for longer than necessary. Melinda couldn’t look away from his soft, blue eyes. They became deeper when Phil smiled at her. Her hand was warm when they finally parted.

“I’m sorry about earlier…I didn’t mean to be a jerk,” she said.

Phil kept smiling. “It’s okay. I realized how weird it is for a complete stranger to start waving at you out of nowhere.”

“Well, it is supposed to be a social day.”

Phil rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I have plenty of social thanks to my roommate.”

“The guy being loud and obnoxious?”

He laughed. “That’s John, just my luck.”  
Melinda grinned. “Is that why you came here to read your comic?” She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Hey, you leave my Captain America comics alone.”

They both laughed. Melinda thought it would be awkward to simply stand and talk to someone she just met but Phil had the ability to make her feel comfortable. He definitely did not deserve a roommate like that guy John. She grinned.

“Wanna go prank your roomie?”  
Phil’s eyes lit up. “Yes, please!”

She waited for him to get his hoodie and comic and they ran toward the dorms together.

**Author's Note:**

> I was not sure if I would be able to fill this square but then this idea popped in my head. There are a lot of hints throughout the first season of AoS that Specialists are not as social as the rest of the Academy, and that Operations is the toughest division. My head-canon is that the Academy tried to make people mingle a little bit. Plus, my university would have these social gatherings all the time so it wasn't hard to imagine. 
> 
> Also, I love writing young and nerdy Phil Coulson!


End file.
